How many cold emails do I need to send to get a customer?

Based on a sample funnel, you might need to send around 800 emails to get one customer. This highlights the need for volume and persistence, suggesting dozens of emails per day.

How can I increase my cold email open rates?

The most effective way to increase open rates is through better targeting – finding people who genuinely want what you offer. Additionally, using your personal name as the sender and crafting a short, relevant subject line can significantly help.

What are the key principles for writing effective cold email copy?

The seven principles are: have a focus-specific goal, be human and informal, personalize deeply, keep it short, establish credibility, focus on the reader not yourself, and have a clear call to action.

How can I make my cold emails feel more personal and less like spam?

Write like you talk to a friend, use their name, and go beyond generic statements. Find uncommon commonalities by researching their background, product usage, or shared experiences.

Is it okay to follow up on a cold email that wasn't answered?

Yes, it's often necessary. Plan to manually follow up two to four times, waiting a few days between attempts. Be persistent but avoid being annoying, and get creative if needed.

Should I use automation for cold emails from the start?

No, you should start by sending emails manually. This helps you learn what works and allows for genuine personalization. Once you've mastered the manual process, you can then consider scaling and automation.

Who should be sending cold emails for a startup?

Founders or the CEO should be sending these emails. Recipients are more likely to take emails seriously when they come directly from leadership, rather than an account executive or an automated system.

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How To Convert Customers With Cold Emails | Startup School

Y Combinator

Science & Technology5 min read33 min video

Sep 12, 2024|108,790 views|3,098|175

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TL;DR

Master cold emails: focus on warm intros, target precisely, be human, personalize, and include a clear CTA for conversions.

Key Insights

Prioritize warm introductions as they yield significantly higher conversion rates than cold outreach.

Map out your conversion funnel meticulously, working backward from your ultimate goal (e.g., acquiring a customer) to understand necessary metrics at each stage.

Effective cold emails require deep personalization, moving beyond simple name swaps to finding uncommon commonalities and demonstrating genuine research.

Adopt a human and conversational tone, using "you" and "yours" over "I" and "my," and write as you would speak to a friend.

Keep emails concise and focused on a single, clear call to action to reduce cognitive load and increase the likelihood of a response.

Building credibility through past achievements, well-known customers, or unique insights is crucial for gaining trust in initial outreach.

THE POWER OF WARM INTROS AND THE NECESSITY OF COLD EMAIL

The most effective way to ensure a response to your emails is to secure a warm introduction through your network. This approach can double or triple conversion rates compared to standard cold outreach. However, warm intros aren't always feasible, making cold emailing an essential skill for startups seeking sales, recruits, partnerships, or advice. Fortunately, the low quality of most existing cold emails means the bar for standing out is quite low, offering a significant opportunity for well-crafted messages.

MAPPING YOUR SALES FUNNEL FOR SUCCESS

To succeed with cold emails, it's vital to map out your conversion funnel by starting with your ultimate goal, such as acquiring one new customer. Work backward from this objective, identifying the number of product demos, email responses, and opens required, and the corresponding conversion rates at each step. This process reveals that sending a significant volume of emails, potentially dozens daily, is necessary for meaningful results, underscoring the importance of manual personalization in the early stages to learn what works best.

OPTIMIZING OPEN RATES THROUGH TARGETING AND SUBJECT LINES

Increasing open rates hinges on superior targeting – identifying individuals who genuinely need or want your product. Sending 100 targeted emails is more effective than a thousand untargeted ones. The sender's name should be personal, and the subject line should be short, relevant, and intriguing, like 'Hey quick question' or 'Can I get your advice.' Email is generally the preferred channel over LinkedIn or text messaging, unless explicit permission is granted for the latter. Finding emails can involve asking contacts, checking websites, using tools like Sales Navigator, or guessing based on company formats.

BUILDING PERSONAL BRAND AND ESTABLISHING CONTEXT

In the early stages of a startup, founders are the brand. The way you write, personalize, and demonstrate effort in your outreach reflects on you personally, encouraging potential clients to bet on you. Offering personal contact information, like a cell number, signals a commitment to their success. When reaching out, establishing context and demonstrating shared experiences, such as attending the same college or having worked at the same notable company, creates an immediate connection and builds rapport, making recipients more inclined to help.

SEVEN PRINCIPLES FOR EFFECTIVE EMAIL COPY

Effective cold emails follow seven key principles. First, maintain a singular, focused goal, ensuring every word drives towards one outcome. Second, be human and conversational, using emotional language and informal greetings, and even consider creative elements like personalized GIFs. Third, personalize deeply by identifying uncommon commonalities and researching thoroughly. Fourth, keep emails short and easy to scan, ideal for mobile viewing. Fifth, establish credibility through your background, customers, or industry insights.

READER-CENTRIC COMMUNICATION AND CLEAR CALLS TO ACTION

The sixth principle is to focus on the reader, reframing your message around their problems and needs, telling your story as a quest to solve their issues. Use the language your users employ to describe your offerings. Avoid demanding responses or setting deadlines. Finally, end with a clear, concrete call to action—"Reply to let me know" or "Click here to get started"—placed in its own paragraph to ensure it's noticed and actionable. Following these principles makes your emails stand out significantly.

THE STRATEGY OF FOLLOW-UPS AND LEARNING FROM REJECTION

A single email is often insufficient; plan for manual follow-ups two to four times, spaced a few days apart, to avoid annoyance. Creative follow-ups, like offering free donuts to a non-responsive recipient, can be effective. If someone doesn't respond, do not get angry or frustrated; simply move on, as their needs may change, and you can re-engage later. The key is persistence tempered with creativity and respect for the recipient's time and attention.

EXAMPLES OF INEeffective AND EFFECTIVE COLD EMAILS

Ineffective cold emails often suffer from poor targeting (e.g., offering shipping services for downloadable assets), lack of personalization (e.g., generic greetings), unclear asks, and a sender-focused narrative. They might also imply they are part of a spam list. Conversely, effective emails establish immediate rapport through shared context (e.g., alma mater), demonstrate credibility (e.g., ex-Google background), have a clear call to action (e.g., asking to review a YC app), and make the recipient feel special and exclusive.

TRANSFORMING OUTREACH: BEFORE AND AFTER EXAMPLE

An example of effective email transformation involved a company selling office smoothie machines. Their initial email focused on their 'demo day goal' and asked for referrals to office managers—making it about their need. The improved version, after brainstorming, became 'Smoothie Party,' highlighting a free event for the team. By focusing on the recipient's benefit ('free Smoothie party,' 'treat your team') and asking for feedback, the email became a 'no-brainer' to accept, significantly increasing engagement and opening doors for potential subscriptions.

FINAL ADVICE: MANUAL EXECUTION AND SCALABLE GROWTH

In conclusion, prioritize manual cold email outreach initially to learn and perfect the process before attempting automation. Dedicate significant time daily to crafting personalized messages. Track and measure your funnel conversion rates to identify areas for improvement. Founders should personally send these emails, as they carry more weight. Sending dozens of emails daily, focusing on personalization, humanity, persistence, and diligent work, will yield results. Your small size is an advantage, allowing for the tailored attention needed to make each email special.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Software & Apps

●Companies

Cold Email Best Practices

Practical takeaways from this episode

Do This

Get a warm intro if possible.

Start with your goal and work backward to map your funnel.

When sending cold emails, use your personal name.

Keep subject lines short, relevant, and interesting.

Prioritize email over LinkedIn for initial contact.

If you can't find an email directly, research on their website or use tools like Apollo.io or Hunter.io.

In early stages, you (the founder) are the brand; personalize your outreach.

Focus on a single, clear outcome for each email.

Write like you talk to a friend, using emotional language.

Personalize with specific details beyond just their name or company.

Keep emails short and easy to read, especially on mobile.

Establish credibility through past affiliations, customers, or data.

Frame your message around the reader's problems and needs.

Use language your users use to describe your company.

End with a clear, single call to action.

Manually follow up 2-4 times if needed, giving a few days between attempts.

Be creative with follow-ups.

Do the work: block off hours daily for personalized outreach.

Track and measure your conversion rates at each funnel step.

Founders should be the ones sending these emails.

Avoid This

Don't rely solely on cold emails without warm intros if possible.

Don't expect results from sending only a handful of emails; send dozens daily.

Don't start with automation; do it manually first to learn.

Don't try to make the sale in the first email; aim for the next step.

Don't send untargeted emails; focus on the people who want your product.

Don't use a generic 'From' name like your company name.

Don't use overly salesy subject lines.

Don't text message someone without explicit permission.

Don't guess contact info if you can find it directly or through a reputable tool.

Don't make your company brand the focus when you are small; focus on yourself as the brand.

Don't have multiple asks or unclear goals in one email.

Don't sound like a robot; avoid overly formal language and be human.

Don't use generic personalization like 'love what you're doing'.

Don't send walls of text; keep it concise.

Don't focus the email on yourself; focus on the reader's problems.

Don't make demands or set deadlines for responses.

Don't get angry or frustrated if someone doesn't respond; simply move on.

Don't automate too early; scale only after mastering manual outreach.

Sample B2B Software Cold Email Funnel Conversion Rates

Data extracted from this episode

Action	Quantity Needed (for 1 customer)	Conversion Rate	Emails Sent (for 1 customer)
Customer Conversion	1	N/A
Demo to Customer	10 demos	10%
Response to Demo Signup	40 responses	25%
Email Opens to Responses	400 opens	10%	4000 emails
Emails Sent to Opens	800 emails sent	50%	800 emails

Common Questions

The most effective way is to get a warm introduction through your network. This can increase your conversion rate two to three times compared to a regular cold email.